The devastating fire at Gazi Tyre Manufacturing Factory at Rupshi under Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj was completely doused after burning for over 32 hours.
However, everything in the factory has burnt into ashes and looted by the miscreants. On the other hand, about 175 people are reportedly still missing as a result of the incident.
Firefighters managed to bring the fire under control at about 5:00 am on Tuesday (August 27). Despite the fire was doused, rescue operations have not begun due to the fragile condition of the building and residual heat inside the structure.
“After a long effort, we managed to turn down the flame, but there is still significant heat inside the building,” Anwarul Haque, an assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence; told the media on Tuesday morning.
He, however, said that no casualties were found on the roof after a search conducted using a turntable ladder (TTL).
The Fire Service workers believe that the damage to the six-story building may cause it to collapse at any time. The floors of the building were bent due to the long fire. The plaster inside and outside the building is crumbling. In such a situation, the building is in danger of collapsing.
However, while flames were no longer visible, thick smoke continued to billow from the area.
Relatives of the missing people were seen gathering in front of the factory, anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones who are still missing.
The fire broke out in the six-story building of Gazi Tyre Manufacturing Factory, owned by former Awami League MP and minister Gazi Golam Dastagir, at about 9:00 pm on Sunday. The fire spread quickly as inflammable materials like tyres, rubber and plastic were inside the factory. Twelve firefighting units began working to extinguish the fire since the fire broke out.
It is alleged that miscreants set fire to the factory after looting valuables from the building. The factory authorities claimed that none of the missing individuals were workers as they might have entered the building during the looting incident or for other purposes.
Factory officials claimed that hundreds of people in two groups stormed the six-storey building beside Dhaka-Sylhet highway and resorted to vandalism and looting on Sunday afternoon. Later, the miscreants set fire to the ground floor at about 9:00pm, said Saiful Islam, assistant general manager of Gazi Tyre Manufacturing Factory.
Locals said that the individuals reportedly went to the upper floors of the building to loot, but when the fire broke out, they became trapped. However, some local residents claimed that between 400 to 500 people might be trapped inside the factory.
In a troubling development, local residents reported that a celebratory procession was held in Rupsi area after news broke that Gazi Golam Dastagir had been placed on a six-day remand. The procession reportedly escalated when a group of people stormed the factory, looting machinery and furniture. Shortly afterward, miscreants allegedly set fire to the ground floor of the factory, triggering the massive blaze.
The factory contained raw materials and chemicals worth Tk. 150-200 crore, which were looted before the arson. During the looting, some of the looters were trapped inside the building but were later rescued by the fire service.
The factory also came under arson attack earlier after the fall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5. Production of the factory was suspended since then.
